Dangerous Alternative by Kelli Hughett:
Summer in Southern California doesn't get any hotter than this!
When Levi Boulter agrees to work for the FBI behind the scenes in Hollywood, he never plans on becoming an operative working to thwart a plan to assassinate the President's wife--or on keeping a secret from the woman he loves, Mahari Gillaspie. When Mahari is kidnapped, Levi makes the gamble of his life in order to save her. Will Levi's secret divide them forever, or will they come together in time to stop an assassination?

I was able to catch up with Cassie Parker from Catch Of a Lifetime...I tracked
her down at an apartment complex just south of Front Range University. Let's
see if she has a minute or two to talk to us.

Hey Cassie! Can I come in?

Y'all
come on in and thanks for stopping by. Pardon the mess, but I just moved in
yesterday and am still trying to figure out where to put things. This studio
apartment sure seems a lot smaller than the online listing made it appear. Then
again, once I get some of these boxes cleared out it should feel bigger. I
hope. But that's moving for you. Can I get you something to drink?

Water
would be fine. Thank you.

I've
been guzzling water ever since I got here. Sure is drier than I'm used to.
Right now I'm craving a large glass of sweet tea but my pitcher won't fit into
that tiny fridge. Don't worry. I'll figure something out 'cuz a Southern girl
needs her tea.

How
are you liking Colorado so far?

I
went for a walk this morning to work the road trip driving kinks out of my back
and couldn't believe how perfect the weather is in August. Cool. No bugs. And
those mountains are stunning. Is the sky always this blue?

More
often than not. I think it's because of the clean air. But I've also heard it's
because of the high altitude and being closer to outer space.

Believe
me, I'm feeling the lack of air.

So,
what's on your horizon this week? Are you looking forward to another school
year?

I
am definitely looking forward to this year. Today the plan is to finished
getting settled in and then tomorrow I'll head over to campus. I still need to
stop by financial aid to give them my new bank account information so they can
deposit my stipend and I'll have money for books. I still can't believe I'm
getting a free education and money to live on in exchange for teaching aerobics
and Pilates classes to undergrad students.

Have
you met any cute guys yet?

Not
yet, which is a good thing since I'm all sweaty and still wearing my move-in
clothes. Maybe tomorrow. Then again, I'm not exactly looking either. After the
heartache of the last couple of years, it just feels so good to be somewhere
new. To get a fresh start. I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for
me this year.

Get to know Cassie better in Catch Of a Lifetime by Candee Fick

Unfortunately,
Cassie's fresh start is about to turn into her worst nightmare, but God has a
plan. Read more in Catch of a Lifetime.

Blurb: He breathes football. She shudders at the
very mention of the sport. After a tragedy involving a football player
destroyed her family, athletic trainer and graduate student Cassie moves across
the country looking for a fresh start, but a change in financial aid lands her
in the middle of her worst nightmare. Meanwhile, rookie coach Reed worries his
dream career will slip away as injuries plague his players and his star
receiver teeters on the brink of ineligibility. As the two work together to
salvage the season, sparks fly, and Reed must eventually choose between the
game he cherishes and the woman he loves.

Bio:Candee Fick is the wife of a high school football coach
and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic
syndrome. When not busy with her day job or writing, she can be found cheering
on the home team at football, basketball, baseball, and Special Olympics games.
In what little free time remains, she enjoys exploring the great Colorado
outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings
through a good book.

2. Use the 80/20 rule. Marketing isn't about YOU, it's about YOUR READERS. What are your readers interested in? Do you write nineteenth century fiction? Why not post pictures of historical homes and clothing? Did you write a steam punk novel? Why not showcase some great tattoos?

Avoid being selfish:I hate it when writers talk about themselves all the time. Be humble and feature lots of other books that your readers will love!

Think of your posts as bait. What will make your readers bite? Make it smell good, look good, taste good!

80% of your marketing is "bait"(reader interest) and 20% is "hook"(your books)

3. Schedule your posts. When you've determined what you're going to use as "bait" for your audience, start a list of scheduled posts.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest can all be managed with a monthly subscription to http://www.hootsuite.com TIME IS MONEY, especially in marketing!

4. BE YOU. Marketing is very personal. What works for you isn't going to work for another writer. My brother sells cars with slap-stick YouTube videos...they are hilarious! (Wanna see them? Go here) These ads are working great for him, but I don't think they're the right fit for selling my romantic suspense novels!

Make a list of the things that define you as an author. (if you mention professional coffee drinker or chocolate hound, may you be cursed forever! So cliche!) Use these things to define your marketing. Are you funny? Take good pictures? Create nail art?

Readers LOVE authenticity. Be YOU and no one else.

Consider your budget. Spending too much on marketing will sink you faster than a lead balloon. If you don't have marketing money, don't spend it! Do what you can, sell what you can and put your profits back into marketing! (do this on 10 books and you can go to Bermuda on the proceeds)

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Last Sunday morning, I chose an outfit that made me feel
amazing. I always feel my best when the things I wear reflect my personality.
Fitted jean jacket, long tiered skirt, turquoise jewelry. I did my hair in an
angled French braid around to my shoulder and pulled a few wisps to curl
around my face. I glanced in the mirror, happy with my reflection and ready for
worship. I pulled on my favorite cowgirl boots and headed out the door, feeling
a bit of confidence buoy my spirits.

Then I arrived at church and saw her.

Nearly 10 years my junior, she was, as usual, dressed to the
nines in calf-length high-heeled boots, clingy sweater with trailing ribbon
flower and a short black skirt. Did I mention in addition to being 10 years my
junior, she's at least that many pounds lighter?

I wiggled my toes in my snub-toed, gray cowgirl boots and
felt the confidence I'd left the house with float away like a helium balloon
cut from the bunch. My shoulders fell as any illusions of my beauty on that
particular day burned to ash.

Oh, what a Leah
day!

Leah, the unloved. The dim-eyed sister who could only catch
a man through trickery and deceit. Did she feel the same way I did Sunday when
she compared herself to Rachel, the beautiful sister everyone loved? Did she feel
dowdy and ridiculous like I had? Unworthy of notice, like a stump compared to
cherry tree in full bloom?

I'm betting everyone reading this article has experienced a Leah
day. A day in which, compared to another woman, we feel like an unloved,
dim-eyed sister.

But there's a powerful lesson in Leah's story that's often
overlooked. In Genesis 29:31 The Bible says, “Now the Lord saw that Leah was
unloved, and He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

The Lord saw Leah.

The Creator saw her. Not as dimmed-eyed Leah, but as
a precious child. He saw her emotions and struggles. Saw that she was unloved.
The scripture does not say the Lord saw she was ugly. It says He saw her.
And he acted on her behalf. He opened her womb—like a father
watching over a favored daughter, the Lord intervened and blessed this woman
he'd created and loved.

Isn't that what we're really looking for? To be noticed.
Seen?

1 Samuel 16:7b says, “...For God sees not as man
sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart.”

Similar to Leah's situation, when God looked at your heart
He thought,

“She
so beautiful—She's to die for!”

Just like Leah, He saw you. Your flaws. Your
accomplishments. Your struggles. Your gifts. Your sins. And he declared you
beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that He sent His son to die for you, so that
in His beauty, yours would be complete.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a complete beauty? Yes.
You. Completely Beautiful in Christ.

Colossians 2:10b
says, “...and in Him you have been made complete...”

Colossians 3:3 says,
“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

There are few things more beautiful than a bride, but quite
possibly more beautiful is the expression on the face of the groom when he sees
his beloved for the first time. Read Ephesians 5:25b-27 with yourself in mind
as the bride:

“Christ
also loved the church and gave Himself for her; that he might sanctify her,
having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might
present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or
any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.” (Emphasis mine)

Next time you're having a Leah day, one where you
find yourself comparing your outward beauty to another woman's; when you have a
day like mine, when you're wondering if anyone ever really sees you—remind
yourself of this truth: You are worthy of His notice. He sees you, his
gorgeous bride and

You're to die for!

Kelli Hughett is a fiction writer, minister's wife
and homeschool mom. Her first love in ministry is working with women. She and
her family make their home in Windsor, Colorado. Kelli is available for
speaking at Ladies events throughout the year. Look for her debut novel, RedZone, on Amazon.com. Follow Kelli on Twitter
@KelliHughett or on Facebook: Kelli Hughett: Author and Speaker or at www.kellihughett.com.

They don’t call it Loveland for nothing. I wouldn’t live
anywhere else. The views of the mountains opposite the plains can’t be beat.

What’s your favorite
food?

It would be easier to tell you which foods I don’t like.
Sweet pickles. Yams. I think that’s about it. Brant (My 16 year old) would
insert #chocolateaddict if this were a twitter interview.

Describe your favorite
outfit.

I’m not much of a “fashionista”, I leave that to my daughter,
Haley. But my favorite outfit has to be my faded jeans, a pair of black suede
boots, and a vanilla sweater. I love
wearing knit hats!

What is your greatest
regret?

I regret that I didn’t see the signs before my husband
committed suicide. Maybe if I’d done something more…

Are you interested in
another relationship after spending 5 years as a widow?

Yikes! That makes me feel so old. No, I’m not looking for a
relationship. No guy needs this kind of baggage in his life.

What do you consider
your greatest accomplishment?

My kids are my MVP’s. I’m so proud of them! Brant’s made the
Varsity Football team at TVHS (Thompson Valley High School) this fall and Haley
is the sweetest darling in the world. (She’s still missing those front teeth) Raising
them is quite an accomplishment!